Seeds of patience

Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Seeds. Those things that hold more inside them than can be comprehended. Seeds of all kinds are fascinating to me. An entire plant’s DNA is contained in the tiniest of cases. What the plant will grow to be is already present. With the right combination of water, sunlight, nutrients and care, the seed….deep in the darkness of the ground….transforms into what is was destined to be all along.

Gardening with more established plants has instant gratification. I can go to the garden center and pick out the healthiest-looking plants, put them in the ground and have an instant garden. I do have some responsibility to still care for the plant so it doesn’t die, but the hard and uncertain part was done by someone else. Seeds, on the other hand, are a leap of faith. Planting a seed immediately requires patience from the time it leaves the package and is sown into the dirt.  Planting seeds could be interpreted as believing in a promise.

I planted seeds earlier this spring for kohlrabi, beets, green beans and corn. I planted them, cared for them and waited patiently for them to grow. Deep in the dark, they took root and began their journey towards the sunlight. I sowed the seeds, covered them up and didn’t see the actual transformation from seed to seedling until it was visible above ground. When my efforts became obvious, I still had to care for them so they continued to grow and flourish. Sadly, despite my best efforts, the beans succumbed to the ravenous appetites of the bunnies and I’m pretty sure there is a life parallel here too.

Planting seeds happens all the time in life, doesn’t it? We, intentionally or accidentally, sow seeds here and there when we interact with others, never knowing when those seeds will actually begin to take root and transform into something great. We invest our time and efforts into trying to help what was sown grow into something strong and healthy. But it requires faith and a whole lotta patience.

Never do we look at a seed and truly see it’s potential. And, a seed never displays what it’s capable of becoming without a period of darkness. But even while a seed spends time in the darkness, if care continues to be given, that tiny seed will take root and grow. Our patience is tested that the promise inside that little case will explode and flourish.

But, seeds transform in their own, sweet time. We cannot force them to grow and develop faster just because we are impatient to see the results of our efforts.

I don’t know what seeds you’ve sown in life and I don’t know what expectations you have from your efforts.  I encourage you to have patience, stay attentive and don’t give up on the seeds when you don’t see any progress. Much is going on in the darkness that is hidden.